Thursday, February 4, 2010

The process is most commonly used to encourage creativity, brainstorming, works only in a group situation. Another process that can be used both individually and in a team environment is the SCAMPER process. The process works particularly well in creating new products and services that will add additional value to customers.

How to use SCAMPER technique?

Substitute - Think about substituting part of your product/process for something else. By looking for something to substitute you can often come up with new ideas.

Combine - Think about combining two or more parts of your probortunity to achieve a different product/process or to enhance synergy.

Adapt - Think about which parts of the product/process could be adapted to remove the probortunity or think how you could change the nature of the product/process.

Modify - Think about changing part or all of the current situation, or to distort it in an unusual way. By forcing yourself to come up with new ways of working, you are often prompted into an alternative product/process.

Put to other uses - Think of how you might be able to put your current solution/ product/process to other purposes, or think of what you could reuse from somewhere else in order to solve your own probortunity. You might think of another way of solving your own probortunity or finding another market for your product.

Eliminate - Think of what might happen if you eliminated various parts of the product/process/probortunity and consider what you might do in that situation. This often leads you to consider different ways of tackling the probortunity.

Rearrange - Think of what you would do if part of your probortunity/product/process worked in reverse or done in a different order. What would you do if you had to do it in reverse? You can use this to see your probortunity from different angles and come up with new ideas.